recent work

Recent paintings, a variance from the work I have recently been doing. These have been in process for the past month. It seems like a long time for me to be working on something. Top painting, begun about the time I started blogging. I set it aside to work on the florals I thought would be the focus of my last show. Painted on a 16" x 20" canvas, I can't help to think this painting could work on a much larger format. Wanting to do something different than a typical landscape this was a opportunity to incorporate these figures; wooden dolls? mannequins? maybe they were made to be dressed up as saints. The big one seems to have her holy on.

Last fall just after the elections, I was in Sacramento – this fine state's capital, during the rally protesting the passing of Prop 8.  The passing of that proposition was extremely hurtful for me, much more than I ever expected – I felt betrayed and condemned by the outcome. 

It was revitalizing to be there with other like minded victims of the hate.

I recall during the protest thinking the only thing missing were the words "SURRENDER DORTHY" in the sky above us. I have been wanting to commemorate the event. The evil represented by the skywriting; A scary image branded upon my mind in childhood, bringing up feelings of an insurmountable enemy, to powerful to fight, to malevolent not to be contested. The marchers with there back to the capital building were continuing the march beyond the officially sanctioned marching area. They took the march to the street, the goal to cross over some bridge, to be seen. The marchers stayed on the sidewalks, off of the roadways. The police closed the road to traffic limiting the access of visibility. 

The local Pride center in Modesto had a contest for an image for the upcoming Pride Event. The theme "right to love", seemed to fit with what I wanted to express. This painting is 18" x 24", it could have been expressed on a larger canvas, but when I had the time to start it this was the size canvas that was handy. The words on the bottom were added on the computer.

Kaisor Hospital

Last year I sold some paintings to Kaisor for there new hospital in Modesto. The three paintings they bought are shown above. These are not oil paintings, they are a mixed medium, water based paint. They would not purchase paintings on canvas, so I reverted to an earlier painting style. These are painted on board, like the little ones I do but much bigger. I do like painting in this medium, It takes a little more space and planing so I tend to stick with the oils.

The top painting "Sun Lit", 24" x 24" Inspired by the sun light coming through the trees in Yosemite. I liked the cool blues and grays contrasting with the greenish yellow. Simple shapes making up trees and mountain, for me it was all about the color. Next painting "Out To Pasture" again 24" x 24" a scene in Nights Ferry, though the field held no car, there was some abandoned construction equipment there in its place. An vintage roadster seamed to hold a more romantic image. The bottom painting a diptych two 24" x 48" panels, of a local ranch only a mile or so from where the new hospital stands. Alas, The ranch seems to be gone, they are widening the road and only one building is left standing. I heard that the ranch is hanging in the waiting room of the emergency room, With any luck I will never see it hanging there.

sorry it has been a while since I posted last

life gets in the way at times

Portafino

This painting of building at the water's edge along the coast of Portafino, Italy. The colorful buildings of this location are quit inspirational, I spent a long time painting this. It was as if I did not want to leave this place. I feel this painting lacks some spontaneity, it is pretty enough but maybe a little overworked.

48" x 48" oil on canvas

MJC show

Here I am posting images of a show I had at Modesto Junior College a few years back. I have been thinking of this show as I worked on hanging my current show. This weekends show seemed much more difficult to hang. MJC's gallery a large white room with high ceilings allowed a lot of leeway. I could layout the room on graph paper and bring only paintings that I knew would fit. The smaller space of this current show took a little more finesse to get the flow right.

The above image shows six of my favorite paintings. These two foot square paintings, each a flower of a different color. I captured the 6 colors of the color wheel, 3 primary and 3 secondary colors. I call this series "Fleur Spectrum". Many years ago when I lived in Southern California I was a partner in a company that did decorative painting and faux finishes call Faux Spectrum. The library table is a byproduct of that enterprise. The sculpture is carved alabaster, it has four different faces on it's surface. The wall on the right had a large rectangle painted a dusty gray violet with close to a hundred small figure paintings attached to it. Hanging those small panels was truly a act of trust. I ended up filling every inch of the area with only four paintings left over.

This wall of 12 inch square paintings is one of the first times I was able to display these painting. I started painting one foot squares a while earlier knowing how I wanted to see them displayed. Four years later I'm still filling walls with grids of square paintings. This weeks show the paintings are 8" squares, 44 of them. The figure is a clay piece I did while I lived in San Francisco. The four foot square painting farther down the wall is a sight I actually witnessed. I was driving from San Francisco to Stanford to visit the museum there. I saw a circular shape in the field then noticed figures within the ring. I could not make out the origins of the people, but under the circumstances I could only assume they were aliens.

Magnolia

This painting of a blooming tulip magnolia tree is one that did not make it into my current show. I had planed to make it part of a set, I still may. While hanging my show I realised there was not room to display the pair, so I used that excuse not to execute the second painting. I like this painting by it's self and with out the pressure of a deadline it may be a while. There are a few other images I want to work on that the show forced me to set aside.

I planted a tulip magnolia in my yard two years ago. I wanted a shade tree to shelter my house from the summer's afternoon sun. The tree bloomed for the first time this year. I got 4 flowers. I want to bring them to my easel and try to capture the essences of there chaotic petals. My tree grew only 6 inches in 2 years. I fear there will be a long wait before I can remove a branch from it.

Show preview

Had a lot of trouble posting images this week. I've been to consumed with my upcoming show to spend time trying to overcome the problem.

This image is is a preview of what I have hanging in the space. I had to rethink my idea of focusing on floral images. The space required me to think about the scale of the paintings. The scale of the smaller room did not allow viewing space to appraise a larger image directly. The smaller paintings, 44 on the one wall, are more likely to draw someone into the room. I am showing some quirky still lives as well as the more organically inspired paintings. 

more hydrangea

Here are more hydrangea paintings. 

14" x 7" oil on board

36" x 36" oil on canvas